A: I ride at work on rough pavement and desert floor sand and 40 psi works for me. That's high for trails and dirt but when you run inner tubes you can't go super low. Start at 30-35psi and see what you think.
These upgrades made my Marlin a JOY to ride:
- Renthal Apex 40mm stem
- Renthal FatBar Lite carbon bars, 40mm rise. Bike steers GREAT now.
-Race Face Half Nelson Grips (Orange of course)
-R.e.Med Memory Foam Bike Seat with Recovery Zone Cutout
-I did get an FSA SL-K Carbon SB20 seat post, but that's because my LBS cut the stock one too short, and argued it was OK. Not for this 350lb Clyde rider. So I went with this, has a 20mm setback. Holds me up just fine, love it. Slightly smoother ride feel.
-Bought Slime tubes for F&R, lots of stickers on the desert floor in Phoenix, flats abound. Since then, not one flat with Slime!
-Black gaffer's tape (NOT duct tape!) from Amazon, put a strip under the bottom tube to protect the frame paint. Pulls right off with no residue.
So for $1000 with some carbon upgrades, killer XC bike. Once I get weight off, I'll upgrade way up but for now, this one is rock solid. If you are a heavy rider, this one is a great choice, with the mods.
Pros For $729, great frame and drivetrain/brakes for the money. XR2 tires are fine for general riding. The Roarange color is awesome. Upgrades make this REALLY nice (listed below)
Cons Felt like my core was too far over the forks. Stock 80mm stem too long, feel like you are sweeping when steering. Not nuts about flat bars. Stock grips are always lousy, and the saddle is so bad it should never fall into the hands of our country's enemies.
Pros at $700 its a perfect entry level or step up from an entry level mountain bike. The 29 inch tires make the bike fast on the trail. Rockshock fork has a lot of travel and the shimano drivetrain is responsive an accurate always
Cons the saddle is brutal. The bottle cage mounts are too high, you can only fit a tiny bottle. At 31 lbs its heavy
Let me start by saying I got the best bike I could afford as a father of 4, my financial priorities have to stay in order. Now for $700 I got a bike that rides amazing, that I can put complete confidence in, and as the oem parts wear out I can upgrade as I go.
I've been riding mountain bikes off and on since the late 80's and I grew up on rigid 26'ers and hard tails that were basically bmx bikes with gears and enjoyed them I'm not a beginner but I'm just getting back to serious riding after about a 10 year hiatus and there's a little rust to knock off and this is my first 29er. I researched and narrowed my choices down to 4 bikes in this range, a specialized, a cannondale, a Fuji and this Trek. After a lot of test riding them all, the Trek Marlin 7 won hands down for ride quality and just all around feel. The SR Suntour fork is 100 mm travel spring fork but new this year model is a hydraulic lockout and a hydraulic adjustable rebound that once you dial it in for your weight and riding style helps your handling and control so much it feels like a more expensive fork This bike looks great too in Miami green.
I've owned this bike since September and have had plenty of trail time including some difficult ones and the only 2 complaints I have are: I replaced the stock grips with some aftermarket lock ons as the original ones were paddle style and they worked against changing hand positions for steep down hills and would twist on the bar. And 2, I know at this price point some people are looking for a do everything bike and it comes with a 3x chain ring 40/32/22. I really don't need the 22 ( granny gear) and the 40 gets in the way on th trail, I've bashed it on rocks and roots and once on a bad landing, it stabbed my calf pretty good. So I'm going to be replacing it with a deore crankset with a 1x 30 tooth and that will also drop about 2 lbs off th bike too.
So I've found 2 things that I'm improving after months of hard trail riding on a hardtail that retails for $769. That's worth a 5 star rating from me. And I base my review off that reality. I've taken it out on real world tests rather than review it the first week I had it
Pros Ride Quality is the main reason I chose this bike it. It feels like a much more expensive bike
SR Suntour XCM fork. It's a spring fork with hydraulic rebound adjustment and hyraulic lockout ( new for the 2016 Marlin 7 model) yes I know sr Suntour is not the best thought of name in forks
Modern geometry with a classic feel
Tektro hydraulic disc brakes stop on a dime even covered in grime
This bike gives a lot of ride for the $
Cons The stock paddle grips slip on the bars- minor upgrade
The 3x chainring is unnecessary and the 40 tooth is a little in the way for me - soon to be upgraded to a 1x raceface 30 tooth
Great entry level 29er bike with decent components. Looks great and performs very well on intermediate trails. Climbs over everything so far
Pros Alpha Gold frame is lightweight
Bontrager double wall 29er wheelset looks and handles great. Hydraulic disc brakes are strong even covered in mud. 27 speeds is more than enough to climb the tough stuff.
Cons Coil spring fork works okay for light single track and my smaller size but may upgrade down the road especially since it doesnt lock out.
These upgrades made my Marlin a JOY to ride:
- Renthal Apex 40mm stem
- Renthal FatBar Lite carbon bars, 40mm rise. Bike steers GREAT now.
-Race Face Half Nelson Grips (Orange of course)
-R.e.Med Memory Foam Bike Seat with Recovery Zone Cutout
-I did get an FSA SL-K Carbon SB20 seat post, but that's because my LBS cut the stock one too short, and argued it was OK. Not for this 350lb Clyde rider. So I went with this, has a 20mm setback. Holds me up just fine, love it. Slightly smoother ride feel.
-Bought Slime tubes for F&R, lots of stickers on the desert floor in Phoenix, flats abound. Since then, not one flat with Slime!
-Black gaffer's tape (NOT duct tape!) from Amazon, put a strip under the bottom tube to protect the frame paint. Pulls right off with no residue.
So for $1000 with some carbon upgrades, killer XC bike. Once I get weight off, I'll upgrade way up but for now, this one is rock solid. If you are a heavy rider, this one is a great choice, with the mods.
Pros
For $729, great frame and drivetrain/brakes for the money. XR2 tires are fine for general riding. The Roarange color is awesome. Upgrades make this REALLY nice (listed below)
Cons
| Thank | EditFelt like my core was too far over the forks. Stock 80mm stem too long, feel like you are sweeping when steering. Not nuts about flat bars. Stock grips are always lousy, and the saddle is so bad it should never fall into the hands of our country's enemies.
absolutely..a whole lot of bike for the money
Pros
at $700 its a perfect entry level or step up from an entry level mountain bike. The 29 inch tires make the bike fast on the trail. Rockshock fork has a lot of travel and the shimano drivetrain is responsive an accurate always
Cons
| Thank | Editthe saddle is brutal. The bottle cage mounts are too high, you can only fit a tiny bottle. At 31 lbs its heavy
It's been ten years since I've done any real riding. This was the perfect bike to fuel a old hobby.
Pros
Great entry level bike.
Cons
| Thank | EditUncomfortable saddle
great value for the price i can upgrade easily
Pros
great value all around for the price climbs , descends, and jumps well my first 29er
Cons
| Thank | Editheavy at 31.86 lbs seats grips and stock pedals cheesy does not need 3 ring crank
Pros
I love the bike and it was great on the trails.
Cons
| Thank | EditThe bike is fairly heavy.
Let me start by saying I got the best bike I could afford as a father of 4, my financial priorities have to stay in order. Now for $700 I got a bike that rides amazing, that I can put complete confidence in, and as the oem parts wear out I can upgrade as I go.
I've been riding mountain bikes off and on since the late 80's and I grew up on rigid 26'ers and hard tails that were basically bmx bikes with gears and enjoyed them I'm not a beginner but I'm just getting back to serious riding after about a 10 year hiatus and there's a little rust to knock off and this is my first 29er. I researched and narrowed my choices down to 4 bikes in this range, a specialized, a cannondale, a Fuji and this Trek. After a lot of test riding them all, the Trek Marlin 7 won hands down for ride quality and just all around feel. The SR Suntour fork is 100 mm travel spring fork but new this year model is a hydraulic lockout and a hydraulic adjustable rebound that once you dial it in for your weight and riding style helps your handling and control so much it feels like a more expensive fork This bike looks great too in Miami green.
I've owned this bike since September and have had plenty of trail time including some difficult ones and the only 2 complaints I have are: I replaced the stock grips with some aftermarket lock ons as the original ones were paddle style and they worked against changing hand positions for steep down hills and would twist on the bar. And 2, I know at this price point some people are looking for a do everything bike and it comes with a 3x chain ring 40/32/22. I really don't need the 22 ( granny gear) and the 40 gets in the way on th trail, I've bashed it on rocks and roots and once on a bad landing, it stabbed my calf pretty good. So I'm going to be replacing it with a deore crankset with a 1x 30 tooth and that will also drop about 2 lbs off th bike too.
So I've found 2 things that I'm improving after months of hard trail riding on a hardtail that retails for $769. That's worth a 5 star rating from me. And I base my review off that reality. I've taken it out on real world tests rather than review it the first week I had it
Pros
Ride Quality is the main reason I chose this bike it. It feels like a much more expensive bike
SR Suntour XCM fork. It's a spring fork with hydraulic rebound adjustment and hyraulic lockout ( new for the 2016 Marlin 7 model) yes I know sr Suntour is not the best thought of name in forks
Modern geometry with a classic feel
Tektro hydraulic disc brakes stop on a dime even covered in grime
This bike gives a lot of ride for the $
Cons
The stock paddle grips slip on the bars- minor upgrade
The 3x chainring is unnecessary and the 40 tooth is a little in the way for me - soon to be upgraded to a 1x raceface 30 tooth
| Thank | EditWhat were the other bikes the, (Cannondale, Fuji, specialized)
Thank | EditGreat value for under 700
Pros
I enjoy the bike a whole lot. Everything on it works great! Brake system works perfectly.
Cons
| Thank | EditPlastic pedals, but I get why trek does this. People all have their preferences. Just switch them out.
Great entry level 29er bike with decent components. Looks great and performs very well on intermediate trails. Climbs over everything so far
Pros
Alpha Gold frame is lightweight
Bontrager double wall 29er wheelset looks and handles great. Hydraulic disc brakes are strong even covered in mud. 27 speeds is more than enough to climb the tough stuff.
Cons
| Thank | EditCoil spring fork works okay for light single track and my smaller size but may upgrade down the road especially since it doesnt lock out.